Nearly 27% Of People Think This Is The Grossest Fast Food Chain

What's the grossest fast food chain out there? When it comes to things like chocolate cake, a slice of pizza, or an order of French fries, we can all agree that bigger is better. But when it comes to fast food chains, that's not exactly the case. Turns out, one of the biggest fast food chains in the world is also considered by many to be the grossest. Mashed asked hundreds of consumers what they think is the nastiest fast food chain, and nearly 27 percent named McDonald's, ranking it at the top of the list.

While those Golden Arches may promise happy meals, that may not be what you get. You'll get a burger that doesn't rot... which we can imagine might be a turn off for some people. Or maybe it's the germ-infested PlayPlace (and touch screens, and coffee machines, and so on). It's also true there are a number of items that the staff won't touch, including most of the chicken. And whatever you do, steer clear of ordering literally anything that comes from the ice cream machine, which doesn't get cleaned (via Delish). 

The only defense we've got for Mickey D's is that it must be tough to maintain an operation that huge without making a lot of mistakes along the way. After all, McDonald's has more than 38,000 restaurants worldwide serving more than 69 million people a day. And most of those stores are franchised, making it tougher to enforce quality standards across the board.

It's not just burgers and fries that are making some diners cringe. Behind McDonald's, more than 18 percent of those surveyed think Popeyes is the grossest fast food chain — so we're guessing they aren't fans of that infamous spicy chicken sandwich. Behind Popeyes, sandwich chain Jimmy John's was named the nastiest chain by nearly 13 percent of respondents, just one point more than those who voted Subway. After that, Dunkin' clocked in with 10 percent voting for the coffee and breakfast chain. Close behind, about 10 percent also named Wendy's as the grossest fast food chain.

So, what does all this tell us? First, there are a lot of opinions out there, so maybe it's a good thing there are so many different fast food chains to choose from to please all those picky eaters. And also, that gross fast food can come in many forms, at any meal of the day.